An uprooted tree rests on a house on Union Valley Road in Mahopac in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. / Frank Becerra Jr. / The Journal News

Written by

Jessica Bakeman, Albany Bureau

ALBANY — Local governments in areas impacted by Superstorm Sandy are unsure how the disaster will impact their budgets, and many of them are already struggling financially.

As of Wednesday, 13 New York counties were eligible for both public and individual assistance from the federal government, but some local leaders are concerned the emergency aid won’t make their communities whole.

“There is no question that any reimbursements that might be out there will not cover all of it,” said Rockland County Executive Scott Vanderhoef, a Republican. “There are a lot of costs. We’ve had major structural and physical damage.”

Gov. Andrew Cuomo announced Wednesday that four more counties -- Ulster, Putnam, Orange and Sullivan -- were deemed eligible to receive public aid from the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The counties had been cleared for individual aid on Monday.

They join nine other counties that have been declared federal disaster areas and will get help from the federal government. The other counties are those making up New York City and Long Island as well as Westchester and Rockland.

Although New York City and its suburbs suffered the worst impact, the four counties approved for public aid Wednesday also dealt with road closings, downed trees and power outages that lasted more than a week. At least one Ulster County resident died as a result of the storm.

“It has been two weeks since Sandy struck New York state, and we continue to see long-ranging, catastrophic effects of this storm across the lower Hudson Valley,” Cuomo said in a statement Wednesday. “I thank President Obama and FEMA for expanding federal assistance for these four counties.”

The federal government pays 75 percent of costs for damages associated with major disasters, and the state and local governments are expected to pay the rest. Cuomo is seeking 100 percent reimbursement from the federal government because of the magnitude of Superstorm Sandy.

In prior major storms, New York state has picked up most, if not all, of the local governments’ share.

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The 13 impacted counties are eligible for federal reimbursement for emergency actions taken during and immediately after the storm to protect life and property. FEMA will also cover costs of removing debris and restoring disaster-damaged infrastructure, road systems and parks.

Putnam County Executive Mary Ellen Odell, a Republican, said the county, its municipalities, school districts and fire departments estimate they will ask for about $425,000 in federal reimbursements, although that number is likely to grow.

Odell said she doesn’t anticipate the county having to absorb other costs.

“We’ll be fairly reimbursed, but we always have the concern for the constituents,” she said, referring to those whose homes and businesses suffered losses.

Chemung County Executive Thomas Santulli, a Republican, said his county had to pay some expenses associated with Tropical Storm Lee last year, but the costs were manageable.

The county received $1 million from FEMA to repair infrastructure. Congress approved nearly $5 million more for other damages, but he said the county is still waiting for those funds.

In all, the county absorbed about $200,000, mostly in overtime costs for county employees, he said.

“We were pleased to get the million. It certainly was a big help,” Santulli said. “Would you like to get it all? Absolutely,” he continued. “But it was our community, and we got it back in shape.”